solemnly resolved to constitute India into a
SOVEREIGN,SOCIALIST,SECULAR,
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
and to secure to all its citizens:”
As B.R.Ambedkar and his team embedded the above highlighted word,the soul of the Indian Constitution,they had presented the people of India with an odyssey where the citizens were gifted with a buoyant force,a persuasive power with a knack of weaving together the personal with the political.Jan 26th,1950,Mother India’s children received their biggest prize,neatly tied with a red ribbon-Democracy.Hurrah!
The odyssey now faces a road block,purely built by the same people who untied the red ribbon,with a sense of triumph and with a smile on their faces.The red ribbon and the gift of Democracy now lies down in a corner,neglected,the ribbon,even more redder showing signs of danger.
The million dollar question staring at our faces, point blank-Where is the much famed Indian Democracy heading towards? The answer-(fasten your seatbelts),Indian Democracy was moving straight, right on track until it came upon the people’s road block.Clever as it is,its taken a U-turn moving in the opposite direction only to turn back again and with all its might and force,drive right into the block-penetrate through it,announcing its rebirth in grand style.
Rebirth?Does that mean Democracy is dead?Definitely not,death is not the word.Indian Democracy is in that stage where it is hovering between life and death with minimum voluntary service and brain activity.Medically speaking,Coma.Conveniently,fingers are pointed at the politicians who are grim, uncompromising, lethargic, insincere, mean and money-minded or in simple words people who populate the 9’0 clock news for their political gimmicks.Every state has become a prey to the statesmen.Law breakers are now the law makers,crippling the growth and the progress of the nation.
Mahatma Gandhiji said,
“Highest in the land are the servants of the nation.”
With corruption and cheating impregnated in the land by people clothed in white and white,sadly, Gandhiji’s statement needs to be taken back.There has been a continual weakening of National parties and an assertion of regional parties.Room has been given to communalism, chauvinism,provincialism,parochialism,linguistic fanaticism and religious fundamentalism.Poltical incompetence,pretence, diminishing values have resulted in tumultuous times.The voices of the downtrodden and those dwindling in the land have become a distinct echo and still they remain as battles to be fought,leave alone won.
One factor which has not been analysed thus far is are we being fair in criticising the politicians alone?*violently shaking my head*.This is exactly where the Democratic factor is ushered into the field.
“Democracy is a process by which the people are free to choose the man who will get the blame.”
US educator,Laurence J.Peter couldn’t have put it better.Predominantly based on consultation and discussion,democratic decisions involves every one of us to point out possible mistakes and unless the individual excercises his vote,performs his duty,he loses the right to criticise any politician.Being accountable,democratic government allows us to correct our mistakes.
“Voice of people is Voice of God.”
Very true.If anyone is to be blamed for what we are undergoing, look into the mirror.He/She would be staring at you with the innocent, watery eyes of a person who hasn’t performed his/her duty.We will have to assert our rights for Democracy to triumph.We need to arrest the deteriorating tendency, pull up our socks and prepare our index finger to don the blue ink mark.Exercise your right.Perform your duty.Cast your vote.Cast it on the person you believe could make the difference.
One week-That is exactly the time period required for the ink on our index finger to get washed away.It is the same 168 hours(maybe lesser than that)that is required by us to forget what we had been promised by the politicians.It is indispensable to remember that in a democracy we,the people,are the rulers and we have the power to lord over the politicians.Sounds assuming?It’s music to my ears!A thousand politicians are no match for one billion educated people.Ha!Educated!That brings us to:-
People are equal before the law in a Democratic country.When civil servants need to crack the UPSC examinations what is the criteria for politicians?
-An average score in Boards,preferably below the pass mark!
-A couple of FIR’s to the credit!
-Zero morality and lack of character
There must be a criteria for a citizen to turn into a politician.Every Tom,Dick and Harry(Kandhsamy,Kuppusamy,Ponnusamy),can’t become a politician.Lets not degrade the standard of Indian politics.It is pathetic to learn that some of the popular ministers have attendance lower than 10% in their Lok Sabha ‘Report Card’.Let the Professor’s(collar’s up,we!) expel them.
Politicians who have been proved of criminal offences cant contest the elections.Fair enough but what about politicians who face umpteen criminal charges?Shouldnt they be banned?It is painful to learn that the petition has been before the Judiciary since 1999 and a verdict is yet to be passed.
Target dates are required.Decisions take time in a democracy like India.Point taken but there is no harm in releasing target dates.Ask for target dates.Demand introduction of appropriate criteria for polticians.Indeed,I agree politics and civil services are two different ball games,but the goal of both is the same.Urge the honest civil servants to displace the dishonest elements in Indian politics.U.S president Barack Obama’s words echoes in my mind,”Yes,We Can” but as Indians,lets go one step further ad say “Yes,We Will”.Its not about being in par with U.S,it about overshadowing them.Demand and Decide,there in lies the supreme power of Democracy.
Over the past decade,Democracy has paved the way for youngsters like Sachin Pilot stepping into politics,so much so they have become accessible to people through social networking sites.Work needs to be done though as statistics reveal youngsters have not started voicing their opinion in the House.There has been a silent revolution with women(Rajiv Gandhi started it with Panchayats)coming in,as well.It is heartening to note that more than half of the M.P’s seated on the cushioned chairs of the Parliament are graduates and Post Graduates.
As B.S.Raghavan rightly puts it “Democracy will grow from strength to strength.It needs time to percolate,permeate,perpetuate and pervade.”Its just a matter of time and as I pen down the last few words I can hear my watch ticking away…*Hope*
I strongly believe that this ticking will soon be drowned by the voice of one billion people shouting in chorus, “Yes, We will!”
Indian Democracy will triumph.
Jai Hind!
